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Brexit

Richard Parry reflects on the first-stage agreement between the UK and EU that defuses political of tension but has little comfort for the proponents of Brexit and leaves all to play for in the territorial politics of Britain and Ireland.

The fundamental issue with Clause 11 of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, which allows the UK parliament and government to retain competence in areas of devolved responsibility, is one of trust, says Nicola McEwen.

The House of Commons is currently considering the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, and the Scottish Affairs Committee has just published a Report looking at the implications of this Bill for Scotland’s devolution settlement. Committee Chair Pete Wishart outlines the Committee’s work on this subject and sets out the Report’s main conclusions and recommendations.

The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill

The decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union has major consequences for the transport, logistics and supply chain sector. This statement draws attention to the principal issues relating to the movement of goods which have been identified to date by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Ireland (“the Institute”) and which should be considered by public authorities and by the transport, logistics and supply chain sector.Brexit will impact on three equally important aspects of Irish trade:

Much of the Brexit-related talk has focused on the size of the money pie but, says Michael Keating, determining how it will be cut is just as important.

After Brexit, money currently spent on EU agriculture and structural funds will revert to the UK. These are the largest items in the EU budget so that the sums are important. The question has arisen as to how they will be distributed across the UK. Currently, the devolved governments do rather well in these fields.

Amidst the current, noisy, political debate about ‘bonanzas’ and ‘power grabs’ there is some measure of consensus between the UK and Scottish Governments as regards the need for (and value of) UK-wide ‘common frameworks’ post-Brexit, especially in relation to the functioning of markets within the UK. However, as Shepherd and Wedderburn's Gordon Downie explains, what might be described as the opening negotiating positions of the UK and Scottish Governments reveal wide differences on the scope and content of these new common frameworks, and on the constitutional mechanics that should u

In response to the apparent surge in support for Corsican nationalists, President Macron has made it clear that Corsica will not be allowed to distinguish itself further from the rest of France. However, says Dr Alexendra Remond, support for autonomy may be symptomatic more of disenchantment with the status quo than of growing Corsican nationalism.

The Irish border has proved to be one of the most intractable aspects of Brexit, says Michael Keating, and the proposals put forward by the UK Government show little signs of being endorsed by Dublin or, as a result, Brussels.